Turkey: Integrated water resource management at river basin level 2003
Water management at the level of river basins has become a priority for the Turkish Authorities (Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture in particular).
Among the topics dealt with during the mixed French-Turkish commissions, the following should be outlined:
- protection areas for the intakes of water intended for human consumption,
- the compatibility of the different water uses at the level of a river basin,
- management and conservation of water quality,
- legislative and regulatory aspects aiming at better water management.
For this purpose, a seminar on integrated water resource management was organised with the support of the French Ministries for Foreign Affairs and of Ecology and Sustainable Development and with the participation of French experts (IOWater, Water Directorate of the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development).
This seminar was attended by the different Turkish Ministries (Environment, Agriculture) and by various Turkish operators of the water sector. Its objective was, on the one hand, the finalisation of a strategy document for better water resource management with the different ministries and departments concerned, and, on the other, the identification of projects that could be included in this national strategy and financed by the European Union.